Puppy days
by Halo Cyan
Summary: When a bored Zack annoys Genesis, he gets turned into a puppy. And this is the day of Zack the puppy.


_It's been so long since I've written. Between exams and laziness and writer's block I just haven't found time. Either way, here is a story._

_FF7, the characters or the setting do not belong to me. They belong to Square Enix. This is a non-profit fanfic._

**Puppy days **

Zack was oh so bored. And unfortunately, a bored Zack was a troublesome Zack. As Genesis found out as the hyperactive teenager bounced around his office.

"Zack Fair, get out of this room before I set you on fire!" Genesis warned him angrily.

"Aw come on Gen, I'm only looking for a good book." Zack said while shuffling through the bookcase Genesis had in his office. Two of the shelves in it were dedicated to _Loveless_ with at least six copies of the book and a number of theory and translation books. The rest of the shelves were stacked with military books and a few odd novels – mostly of the crime genre.

"Get your dirty little paws away from my books!" Genesis screeched "Zack the puppy, are you listening to me –" He stopped abruptly and a malicious grin spread over his face.

"Zack," he said, suddenly nice, "You know, I received this experimental materia yesterday, and I was thinking we should test it out."

This got Zack's attention. "Experimental materia? Can I see?" He eagerly bounced over.

"Sure" Genesis answered sweetly and pulled a blue orb from a drawer in his desk. "Why don't we try it out?" Without waiting for a response he cast it.

Zack watched with fascination as the world around him stretched and seemed to grow. Then with a faint pop everything stopped changing.

"What happened?" Zack asked, but all that came out was a bark. Genesis stood over him and Zack realised with dread that the world had not grown, he had shrunken. And not only had he shrunken, he had been turned into a dog! Well, a puppy to be exact.

"Genesis how could you!" He yelled – only he yelped it in dog-fashion instead.

"Now, now puppy," Genesis said and gleefully lifted him up by the scruff "be a good boy and go play outside." With that, Zack was deposited outside the room and the door firmly shut behind him.

Zack growled at the closed wood and tried scratching it. Nothing happened.

For a good while, Zack sat outside mourning his cruel fate, when suddenly, he got a brilliant idea. Angeal! Angeal would sort this out. So with tail wagging and tongue hanging out, Zack the fluffy black poodle-like puppy waddled his way to Angeal's office.

The door to that office was closed too, so Zack gave it a good scratch and a yowl. A few seconds later, the door opened. He saw Angeal standing very tall, way above him, and whined. Angeal looked down. Zack was used to his mentor's face looking serious and perhaps seeing the occasional smile that he gave when Zack had done particularly well on a mission. What he had never seen was boyish delight that he saw now as the man picked him up.

"Who's a good puppy?" Said in a baby voice was also not what Zack expected. His puppy eyes widened and he gave Angeal a confused look. Angeal hugged him, taking him inside and shutting the door behind them.

"Who's a good puppy?" He repeated and began to scratch Zack's tummy. Zack squirmed trying to get loose.

"Aw, is puppy not comfy-wumphy?" Angeal cooed and put Zack on the floor. Instantly, Zack made for the closed door, but to no avail. Angeal picked him up again and rolled him over.

"Does puppy want a tummy wub?" He asked already giving Zack a good scratch. Zack snorted. So this was how Angeal was around dogs. What a shocker. The man was acting like a woman.

"Does puppy want a tweat?" At this, Zack's ears perked up and he gave an enthusiastic bark.

"I take that as a yes then." Angeal smiled lovingly down and him and strode over to his desk, he opened a draw and took out some biscuits.

_So he keeps biscuits in his office_ Zack thought snidely.

"Now, don't tell Zack I have snacks." Angeal said playfully to the puppy as he fed him a biscuit.

_Oh I won't_ Zack thought evilly, snapping up the treat.

Suddenly, the phone rang and Angeal jumped to get it.

"Yes, yes, no. Of course. See you immediately" was all that was said and Angeal put the phone down.

"Sorry puppy, it seems there is trouble down in Loveless Avenue." He said, shooting Zack an apologetic look before dashing out of his office. In his haste, he left the door open.

Zack raced after him before thinking better of it. Maybe he'd finish the rest of the biscuits first...

So with a full tummy Zack set off bouncing happily down the corridor. After being adored by Angeal and eating all those biscuits, being a puppy didn't seem so bad. He decided he'd spend a bit more time as a four-legged furball. Just for fun.

He spotted an open elevator and someone walking out of it, and scuffled over. The person, a woman, gave him an adoring look but walked away busy.

Zack darted inside the elevator just as the doors were about to close. He looked up to see the array of buttons and hopped up onto his hind legs to press one. Unfortunately, they were still out of his reach. So he slid back down, crouched and pounced, trying to hit a button. He failed twice, but the third time he was successful. Victory! He was on his way to the Turks' floor. He would go see Cissnei!

The elevator arrived and _ping_ed open. Zack sauntered out smugly. He wound his way around the floor and was just about to enter a room when he was picked up from behind.

"Aw, what a cute puppy!" A female voice gushed. He craned his neck around to see a brown-eyed, slightly short, woman with a blonde cut.

"Elena, is that your dog?" Came another female voice. This one from a tall woman with long grey hair.

"No, I just found him wandering around, Martial Arts." The woman, Elena, replied.

"Aw, he's so cute though! Can I hold him?" He was given to the other woman, Martial Arts, who gave him a cuddle and kissed his nose.

Soon there was a whole gaggle of women surrounding him. He caught a few names like Nunchuck, Shotgun, Gun and Knife. He also spotted Cissnei as he was being passed around, scratched behind the ears, having his tummy rubbed and being kissed numerous times by numerous women. All in all, it wasn't very bad. In fact, Zack enjoyed it greatly because as each woman held him, he came gloriously close to her chest, _especially_ if she decided that the puppy required a hug – in which case he was pressed against soft, warm, rounded flesh. He wagged his tail very happily, getting more attention. Life as a puppy was great!

Sadly, this adoration could not last forever.

"Ladies, get back to work!" Tseng's stern voice echoed down the hallway.

There were complains and moaning, but one by one the women left. Cissnei stayed until the end, picking Zack up one last time.

"You know," She said thoughtfully, "You remind me of a friend. He's kind of like a puppy: hyperactive, adorable. Like you!" With that, she took him to the elevator, travelled down to the ground floor, walked out of the Shin-Ra building with him and set him outside.

"Run along now." She said sweetly and disappeared back inside.

Now what to do? Zack meandered along the street looking this way and that. He spotted smashed glass on the ground on Loveless Avenue and vaguely wondered what had happened there.

He continued wandering when he got a bright idea. He'd visit Aerith!

So off he trotted to the train station.

The journey to the slums was an interesting one. He got many stares from train passengers and was chased down an alleyway by some boys throwing stones. Being a dog wasn't as great as it had been before. Finally he reached Aerith's church. He nudged the door open with his side and slipped inside. He spotted Aerith sitting in her usual position, tending the flowers. He shuffled up to her and sat next to her. She noticed him when he gave her a friendly bark.

"Hello there puppy, where did you come from?" She picked him up gently and cuddled him (Oh the warmth! The fleshiness! The roundness and softness and skin-smelliness!)

Zack gave a happy wag of his tail and licked her. She giggled.

_Such a sweet sound_ Zack thought dreamily.

Aerith put him down and picked a few flowers which she wove into his fur. She scratched him behind the ears and gave him a tummy rub and kissed him on the nose. She played fetch with him and let him sit on her lap as she stroked his back.

Right about now, Zack was the happiest man – well, puppy – alive.

He stayed with Aerith until evening, when he suddenly remembered that he had an assignment the next day. So he licked her goodbye and scurried out of the church.

He arrived back at Shin-Ra in one piece (thankfully the stone-throwing boys had disappeared) and was waiting for the elevator doors to open when he was picked up yet again.

It was Angeal. But this time, Angeal was stern faced and looked down at the puppy sternly.

Zack should have known it wouldn't last. The moment they were back in Angeal's office, Angeal began the baby talk again.

"Where did puppy go? Angeal looked all over for him but couldn't find puppy-wuppy." Zack squirmed as Angeal pecked him on the nose. "Don't puppy go wunning away again." He cooed.

There was a knock on Angeal's door. He looked up, straightening his face from the goofy look he had been sporting.

"Come in." He said formally.

Genesis entered. Seeing the scarlet-clad man, Zack began to bark frantically. Genesis coolly raised one eyebrow.

"What's that you've got there, Angeal?" He asked.

Angeal held Zack up. "I found a puppy." He said then proceeded to scratch Zack behind the ears.

"Oh, is that so?" An evil smirk began to play on Genesis's face. He reached into his pocket and there was a small flash of blue. Suddenly Zack felt as if he was being stretched and saw the world beginning to shrink.

_Oh no..._ It was good that he was being returned into his human form... but Angeal was still holding him.

He grew and grew until a very confused and highly embarrassed Angeal was holding a full size SOLDIER second class.

"Zack!" He spluttered. Pushing Zack off himself.

"Heh, yeah..." Zack said, scratching his head nervously.

Genesis meanwhile was on the floor laughing and rolling around uncontrollably.

"Well, I think I need some time alone." Angeal said, shooing Zack out of the room.

"Sure." Zack agreed and ran out of the room. Right now, he needed time alone too.

Wandering his way down to his apartment, Zack mused about his day. Being a puppy was fun... mostly – Angeal was a bit scary. Maybe he'd try get that materia off Genesis one day, only he'd do it on a day when Angeal was absent from the office. Yeah... sounded like a plan.

_Bleh, it died at the end._

~Halo Cyan


End file.
